To Raise a Star
by Zakutsuki
Summary: Judy Hopps was a small-town bunny with dreams bigger than her. She had always wished to become famous, to be a star, an idol, much like Gazelle or even greater than her. But could such a little creature, raised on a farm by her hard-working - but simple-minded - parents ever reach such a thing? Read to find out.
1. Chapter 1

"You dumb, dumb bunny," round purple eyes fixed on the tiny mirror surrounded by cracks on the dirty wall. Judy Hopps was sitting on her tiny bed, a frown fixed on her muzzle. She should have known that for such a small price, in a busy city like this, renting a place could go _horribly_ wrong. And it had.

The old tenants must have thought that no one would be desperate enough to move into such a tiny place because they had left it in a mess - and most possibly a hurry, too. There was dust piled on the floor, on the shelves, clothes on the floor, stains on the bed... It was like a room out of a horror game, ones in which the goal was to _escape_ the room.

Judy ran a hand through the thicker fur on her head, ears flickering in absolute annoyance mingling with bits of disgust. She had not expected anything grand but this? This was worse than anything she had seen. Then again, she had not seen much yet.

She _was_ a little bunny from the tiny town of Bunnyburrows, after all. She was used to the large house her family had, and the large farm, too. She did not miss them yet (a bit of privacy was still good after always being crowded by her too-many-to-count brothers and sisters, and well, not having to go out and pick berries first thing in the morning was probably going to be good, too), but she knew that she would at one point.

After all, even the crowd and the endless work her home had come with was better than...than _this_.

She scrunched up her nose as she collapsed on the floor, finding a spot that she deemed clean enough. The landlady had warned her on the phone that the room - it honestly could not be called an apartment - was a bit small and well, left messy, but... she would have never thought it would be like this. Almost as if those who had lived there previously did not even move. Just...left for a while. It was upsetting, in a way.

Judy would have never left her room like that. Not even if she just left for the weekend... Let alone forever! Just who what kind of people had the last tenants been?

She kept on grumbling under her nose as she cleaned, already used to the process. Having little siblings had at least taught her the efficient way of tidying up after others. It may not have been quick, and she may have felt _dead_ by the time she finished but... After that at least she felt a bit more at home. The discarded clothes ended up in the garbage, along with the sheets and blanket that had been left there, too. She had _gagged_ when she lifted the sheet: it was stained with one too many fluids on closer inspection.

That night, she went to sleep late, curled under the thin blanket she had taken with herself. She had to thank whoever was watching over her from the sky that she had been smart enough to take it with herself. Her mother had told her that she need not do such a thing: poor naive soul had expected her sweet little girl to be provided with such basic supplies.

Even blinded by the promise of fame and more, Judy had not been _that_ dumb. She had travelled all the way to Zootopia on a hunch, yes, but that did not mean that she had done it unprepared. She had some money saved up, and had taken three large suitcases full of anything she could ever need. The following day, she was planning to go to an audition: it was for a minor singing role , but in the biggest theatre of the city. If she landed it, she knew that she would be good for at least a while. If anything, she would be able to start her carrier with a small successful step.

"One step for a little bunny, many for others?" she mumbled to herself in her sleepy daze, hugging the carrot-plush some of her little siblings had gotten her. It was clumsy and hand-made, but it was perfect. Still smelled of home and the many little bunnies that had hugged it, claiming that like that, Judy wouldn't miss them so much. Oh, how wrong they had been.

Once her fury had dwindled, the rabbit realized just how empty her new home was... And how lonely she would be there. Sharing it was no option, however: there was space only for one bed..Nothing else.

"It's gonna get better.." she told herself with a wry smile, snuggling closer to her toy with a soft sigh. She was exhausted, yes, but never once had she fallen asleep completely alone. After all, their house may have been big but it was not a mansion. Suddenly, she missed the little furry bundles of her baby siblings, or her sisters' soft chatting.

Oh, how badly she missed everyone already.

In what seemed like mere minutes, the hour of the audition arrived. Judy was dressed in her best attire, a simple white dress made from scratch by her mother: a parting gift. It was the most formal thing she had in her closet and thus, she wore it proudly. It may not have been anything too flashy, but it was still hers..

And thus, with big hopes and even bigger dreams, Judy Hopps took her very first step to stardom.

Or at least, that's what she thought at that time.

Everything was going according to plan: as always. Nick Wilde had been in this business long enough to know how to lure in innocent little things from towns so far from the big, big city of Zootopia. At first, he had been a little _wary_ of such risky businesses, but life on the streets was hard. And only those who were cunning enough could figure out what to do.

It wasn't that he never felt guilty when seeing eyes once filled with gleeful hope fill with tears. He had a soft spot for pretty little ladies crying, anything. He did, actually, feel bad about what his _job_ was quite often. But was there really anything he could do about it? Of course not. A fox like Nick could only live on money they _gathered_ in sneaky manners.

Was it theft? Yes, it was.

Did Nick really care?

Yes, he probably did. But what mattered more? The pouty faces of some rich-little ladies who had more than enough money to travel to the wonderful city, or the hunger that crawled into his stomach each and every time he did not have enough to pay for his food?

The fox chuckled to himself lowly as he checked the files of the girls he had managed to lure into his trap this time. There was a horse, somewhat pretty, that had sent him a file of her singing some hip song. Well, it was more like screeching. The industry wasn't going to lose much with her if she ended up going home heartbroken with her sweet little dream having shattered right in front of her eyes. Another was an otter that lived in a nearby village. She was more talented judging by the files she had sent, but she also was not too pretty. If anything, she looked like she tried too hard. Poor thing, was she going to realize that it all had been in vain!

The last victim of that ever so sunny day was a rabbit. Nick had to snicker at that without much humour to his voice.. A dumb little bunny had fallen into his trap. She wasn't much, fur grey from the tips of her ears to her toes - well, probably. She had sent a picture of herself clad in loose clothes and a pair of worn, dark shoes. She was grinning to the camera like crazy, her lilac eyes filled with hope and.. was that worry, too?

What unsettled Nick a little was the fact that she, unlike the other too, was actually both somewhat pretty and talented. Granted her voice was rough and faltering and her looks could have used some help but... she actually had potential. Cases like hers made him feel bad. But then again, it wasn't like she would have made it far anyway. She was just a smalltown bunny with a big dream. And a possible carrot-obsession, he had to realize when he stepped out into the building he was borrowing renting out for his little trick audition. It was by no means rundown: a pretty little place he had found a night few years back when he didn't have a place to crash at. It had probably been abandoned for a while and that was just perfect for him.

The fox glanced into the mirror he had hastily hang on the wall and waited.

The horse-girl arrived first, clearly as anxious as one could be. She knocked on the door first, standing there for at least three minutes when Nick went to open it. He was holding a camera in his right hand, charming grin gracing his muzzle. He could have sworn that the girl swooned. She seemed young and reckless, probably a teen who had gone there without her parents' permission. It served her just right, in a way. Or at least that was what the fox told himself: in a way, he calmed himself with such harsh words.

"We will wait for the other applicants and after that, my dear, you all will compete for the role." She seemed a little taken aback, looking around. Almost as if she was searching for a crew. How silly.

"Oh, I see, sir.." she said."Um, my name is.."

"Kamilla, I know, sweetheart. I would remember such a pretty name from anywhere!" the fox said, sending a wink to the girl who almost immediately crumbled - albeit only on the inside. Poor thing was trying to keep strong, letting out an odd little laugh that was close to whining. Nick had to wince inwardly at that. She was...out of this world. But, he had to make do with what he had!

Unsurprisingly, the otter girl was the next to get there, yelling apologies even before she had set her foot inside. She was wearing high-heels (Nick had to wonder how her dainty little paws fared in them) and a flimsy dress made from something too pink and too sparkly. But she had a pleasant voice and a shy personality. Had she been dressed by someone else? Nick had seen parents do that to their kits before. Dress them up and _sell them_ , in a way. He may not have been the most honest and trustworthy of people, but that was something he would have never done. Not to his flesh and blood, even if his own skin depended on it. If a young little thing _wanted_ something like this, he was almost joyful to show them a glimpse of the real, cold world out there. But if they had been forced to do it...

He wasn't always sure if he was doing the right thing.

The bunny was an hour late, which made the other girls quite _iffy_ about her. They had talked on and on, ratting her out even without actually knowing her. Nick had left them in the makeshift little waiting room, claiming that he had something else to do. He just wasn't in the mood to listen to all those stupid names. After all, the horse girl had even assumed that the last auditionee would be a _fox or something like that_. Oh, just how wrong she was.

Nick was ready to go outside and tell them to just stop waiting and come in one by one when he heard the large door creak open and the soft pitter-patter of tiny feet."Sorry for the wait..didn't know..which bus..got lost." it was a wheeze, but strong and filled with an odd sense of..hope? Nick wasn't sure what it could be but he sort of liked it. Out of the three, he already liked the little rabbit the most.

Well, at least she spotted him and started screaming at the top of her tiny lungs, that is.


	2. Chapter 2

Judy Hopps had expected many things of her very first audition: cameras flashing, a large crowd, or at least at least fifteen people eagerly waiting in a comfortable environment with at least a couple security people making sure that nothing would go wrong. After all, there was a chance that the stars of the future would be there. And yet, nothing that had greeted her when she finally reached the rundown, odd area was like what she had imagined it to be. There was no long line, no staff serving refreshments. It was almost as if she was back at the dentist's in her old little town. A couple oddly placed chairs behind the large door and two other girls sitting on them, staring ahead expectantly. What had thrown her off mostly, however, was the _fox_ standing just a few meters from her, right on the opposite side of the hall.

He wasn't tall, but he looked dangerous, deadly even with green eyes that glinted with false glee. Somehow, she could just tell that the grin plastered on his muzzle was not genuine either. She had seen many foxes back around Bunnyburrows and well, none of them had been _friendly._ Of course, Zootopia was different. Each and every animal was supposed to live freely there, following their dreams.

And yet, Judy could not fight the scream that escaped her when she finally realized that she was staring down a predator that could easily snap her neck. It couldn't even have been more than a few moments since she had spotted him, too. Merely, it had been her natural reaction. To danger, to something...someone _lethal_.

Judy could not help but regret leaving her safe home already. And yet, she finally stopped as the fox stepped back a few feet, a sigh escaping him. He seemed to _truly_ be concerned about her as he murmured a few sentences, none of which registered in the poor rabbit's long ears that stood high, clearly alert. She was not shaking, but her right leg was tapping the floor in a nearly angry manner: she was ready to flee if needed.

Of course, a few minutes later once her ever-so-quick heart calmed a little, she had apologized softly, hating how judgemental she had been, relaying on the instincts she should have forgotten long ago. It wasn't as if the fox meant harm, really. Judy was just... still quite afraid of his kin.

Given that she had gotten there last, it had been her who had to wait until the other two girls were done singing their songs. When the horse-girl went in with the fox who was apparently called _Nick_ , Judy had tried to strike up a friendly conversation with the otter.. Only to be glared at. She just looked away and tried to count the cracks on the wall, clutching onto her purse. It held every bit of the money she would have to hand in: the application fee of the audition. It was a lot, more than a month-worth of her rent. She knew that this was her one and only hope. She did not want to blow it.

By the time it was her turn, the other girls had left, chortling loudly to themselves. Apparently, Nick had told them that he would contact them soon, were they chosen for another round. Judy could not help but think that something was a little fishy about the whole process. Then again, she was no city-rabbit. How could she know how things were there? It _was_ her first time ever out of the little town she had grown up in, after all.

As she took small, hesitant steps to the other room, her blood ran cold. What if the fox was going to hurt her? What if all of this was..just a game? What if he was like the predators she had heard of when she had been little. The ones that still lurked around, ready to jump when needed, to _kill_. Against her fears, Judy finally reached the room and stood in the middle, staring into the old little camera that was set up just in front of her. There was no microphone, no nothing. She wondered why.

"Just sing your song, sweetheart!" Nick said with a low chuckle, a smug look in his green orbs just for a moment. It was almost as if he was enjoying the bunny's torment. Then again, maybe he was. And yet, Judy took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she started singing quietly at first, allowing her voice to gently fill the silence of the room.

She did not see the fox's eyes widen, nor did she see how he just stared with newfound respect and something else. She lost herself in her singing, swaying just a bit from left to right. Before she had gotten there, she had wondered if she would have to act, too. After all, this _was_ for a musical and not a talent show or a choir. She had also could not help but ponder on what the critics - apparently only one, how odd - would tell her. But as she started singing.. she forgot about it all.

She forgot about her stupid fears, her weird reactions to the predator, the smelly and still not quite tidy room that was waiting for her, her family... She focused only on note after note, hands by her sides, resting on her little white dress comfortably.

In those few, short minutes, many things happened at once. Judy Hopps sang, for the first time, in front of someone who was not related to her. She radiated hope and something else, causing pain to well up in her sole viewer's side.

Judy Hopp, the small-town bunny seemed to suddenly morph from a naive little girl into a confident woman with a voice and passion like no other.

However, on the opposite side of the room, something else happened, too. Nick Wild, the fox who lived solely on the ideas his witty brain crafted, felt like a kit again. He had never seen such a performance, not even from singers who had been on stage since they were little. Judy Hopps was truly spectacular.


	3. Chapter 3

Nick had never felt so guilty. Even though an entire week had passed since he had _auditioned_ Judy Hopps, he had not touched the money she had handed to him with trembling paws. From time to time, the fox would glance at the wallet he had put it into carefully, contemplating on what he should spent it on. He had so many things he had to buy: from food to a new carpet as the one he had gotten years ago had gained an odd smell no one could wash out of it... He also needed a new lock on his door: a few weeks back his neighbour had _accidentally_ taken his spare key from under the welcome mat where it had been hidden. Nothing was missing yet, but in such a neighbourhood, who knew when that would change.

He had ended up paying rent a month ahead just to be safe. Kamilla, the _darling_ had slipped him a few extra notes, batting her eyelashes. Nick was never the one to refuse some extra cash, especially not from such vile ladies who wanted to win over each other by _buying_ the judge's heart. So maybe he was not the most respectable - or honest, really - animals around... But he also had no choice. At least his heart was in the right place or so the fox would often think, unlike so many others'.

At least he still felt guilt gnaw at his gut almost painfully. He so badly wanted to just call Judy Hopps back and give her back her money. Maybe that way she could have found another audition. Maybe that way, the uneasiness, the darkness in the fox's mind would have slipped away.

And yet, he did nothing. He was a coward like that, acting only when it was absolutely necessary. Maybe he could have had a proper job had he not been so terrified of what others would have said. A fox working as a cashier? Or a waiter?

Just how _ridiculous_ was that, really!

"I bet she went back home already," he would tell himself from time to time as he crafted fresh schemes to earn money. After all, that was the most likely option. He had told her and the others that were they _accepted_ , he would call back in twenty-four hours. That had long passed. Most probably, all three had thought that he had chosen one of the others. That had been the plan, after all.

Luckily for him, things were going well. No angry parents had called demanding a refund, and no crying girls had knocked on his door, pleading for another chance. The latter had happened once with a young hippo-girl who thought that she owned the world. How she had found Nick was still a mystery. A terrifying one.

The fox shuddered at the thought as he posted his advertisement after looking it over once more. He was trying something new this time: an audition as many times, but for dancing this time. He wasn't sure if he wanted to listen to anymammal for a while. He preferred silence, anyway.

It was only the poor little bunny's voice that had struck his fancy enough to make him want to hear it again. He was so glad that he had actually recorded her. At night when the darkness of his room seemed to be buzzing with the demons of his past, he listened to her beautiful song and allowed himself to forget just where he was and why. Once, he had even dreamt of something so perfect, so nice he wished it was true: him despite being a fox as an actual manager for Judy Hopps... the very Judy Hopps who in the dream was already famous enough to have her own recording label. She seemed more mature in the dream and very confident., too. Just perfect, really.

It had been so disappointing to wake from such sweet fantasies of the fox's cruel mind.

Another day or two passed and Nick held another _audition._ This time, all of the applicants were plain _bad_. They could not dance at all. Somehow, that had made him feel a bit more content with himself. After all, no talent was to be wasted because of him.

It was on a stormy day, almost two weeks after the little rabbit had stolen his heart with her singing that he saw the flyer. He was walking home from a cafe, humming to himself with eyes half shut. He liked the gloomy atmosphere, the way how the sun was not glaring at him from the sky. The blanket of clouds hiding it from his view seemed more friendly, for some reason. The wind was blowing and rain was falling hard, soaking his fur by ease. He knew that it was going to be a pain to fry up, but he had no hood or umbrella.

Deep in thought, he ended up walking into a pole, his muzzle hitting it was a painful thud. He fell back, sniggering at himself as he landed on his bottom. Just how could he be so clumsy, really?

Looking up, his eyes fell on a piece of paper, barely making out what it was saying.

It was for an actual audition, or so it seemed. Singing... at one of the main theatres of the city, too. His mind instantly wandered to Judy Hopps. She probably knew already. Maybe she even had the money for it. Just how ironic would it have been if she ended up getting discovered there? Deep down, Nick hoped for her success.

But as he headed home, he did not hear the distressed cries of help that echoed from a small, hidden alley. Humming to himself, he shut the noise of the world out..

If only he had been a little more attentive...


	4. Chapter 4

Judy Hopps trembled like a newborn, eyes wide with fear. Cornered by the _beasts_ three times her size, all she could do was inwardly plead for help. She had heard many stories of young girls being targeted like her in the big cities but she would have never thought that she would end up like _that_.

Maybe renting out her place in such an area had not been the best idea. Then again, she could not have afforded anything else. Her mama had told her to at least try, but everything was just so _expensive_. Even the little one-room _thing_ she had..had cost her nearly an paw and a tail. At the moment, she wished desperately that she had been the chosen one for the role she had auditioned for. At least maybe then, she would have had some money on her already. She could have given it to the _gentlemammals_ stalking closer and closer to her, right? Maybe that was all they were looking for and nothing else. Just..money.

"You know girlie," the tallest of the group, a wolf spoke with a grin that could only be described as predatory. He was clad in simple clothing, mere rags compared to his partners, another canine - a dog maybe? - and a tiger. Judy had never seen animals as large as them, not from up close at least. Maybe that was why they made her blood freeze: even as her instincts to flee from the scene flared up she could not even lift her leg. She knew that she was faster than any of them... then why couldn't she just run?

The amber eyes of the wolf bored into hers and she let out a weak squeak, pushing her lithe body more against the cool walls of the alley she had accidentally stumbled into. She had taken the wrong turn on her way back from grocery shopping and she had ended up in an area that was completely alien to her. Such a silly little mistake...

It all happened too fast. Before she knew it, something thick and made from leather had been wrapped around her skinny neck, barely allowing her to breathe. The bunny let out a noise of utter panic, her eyes growing even wider.

Only then did she start struggling, adrenaline surging in her veins. She realised that she needed to flee, that she had to run or.. or else...

Who knew what would happen?

The wolf just sniggered, claws flashing in the pale moonlight as scratched at the bunny's clothes, tearing through the thin material. He would not harm her: that was not his task. It wasn't as if she could leave, anyway. She was far too weak, far too little to escape him and his allies. What a puny little thing.

Judy ended up being tossed into the back of a van she had not even noticed until then, a whimper escaping her. The tiger had wrapped a cloth around her mouth - he had torn it from the bottom of her skirt, laughing when she had yelped at the action and tried to push him away. She would have never thought that anything like this truly happened out of movies. Reality had always seemed..different to her.

But if life was just like a story in which the damsel got kidnapped by the Big Bad Wolf...where was her prince?


End file.
